A Merry Little Christmas - A Novel by Anita Higman

After her parents died in an accident, Franny put the Oklahoma farm up for sale. For twelve years, she has leased the crop land and continued to tend her animals and dream of moving to the city to be closer to the music world she loves. She listens to Frank Sinatra and others croon Christmas carols on her small transistor radio while she feeds and chats with her hogs, with no idea that God’s plan to fulfill her dreams is about to happen.

Charlie, a polished city dweller is just trying to please his rich and difficult father by learning the ropes and succeeding at a business before he’s allowed to join the family firm. He too dreams of music but that isn’t an acceptable career choice for a Landau heir. When he sees a tiny ad for a farm for sale, Charlie decides to pursue that, and shows up out of the blue on Franny’s farm just before Thanksgiving, 1961. What follows is a sweet story of love and two people learning that God’s plans may be different than one’s dreams, but they are also better!

Franny’s character has been shaped by godly parents and she’s learned to fight against the racism so much in evidence around her. Charlie grows as an individual as he tackles hard physical work and adversity and comes to understand that there are things in life more worth fighting for than his father’s attention and approval. Other’s lives are positively impacted by the strength these two people demonstrate as the story floats along like a smooth Sinatra melody to a happy ending.

There’s nothing quite like a cozy Christmas story but this one plumbed unexpected depths as the issue of racism was addressed head on, as well as the attitudes of the day toward clinical depression. You won’t regret choosing A Merry Little Christmas as part of your seasonal reading list.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.)